Cape lion
An extinct lion population in South Africa / From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
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The Cape lion was a distinctive population of lions in South Africa's Natal and Cape Provinces that was extirpated in the mid-19th century.[1][2] The type specimen originated at the Cape of Good Hope and was described in 1842.[3]
| Cape lion | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Male at Jardin des plantes, Paris circa 1860 | |
Scientific classification | |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Chordata |
| Class: | Mammalia |
| Order: | Carnivora |
| Suborder: | Feliformia |
| Family: | Felidae |
| Subfamily: | Pantherinae |
| Genus: | Panthera |
| Species: | P. leo |
| Subspecies: | P. l. melanochaita |
| Population: | †Cape lion |
Traditionally, the Cape lion was considered a distinct subspecies of lion, Panthera leo melanochaita.[4][5] However, phylogeographic analysis has shown that lion populations in Southern and East Africa are closely related.[6][7] In 2017, the subspecies Panthera leo melanochaita was recircumscribed to include all lion populations in Southern and East Africa.[8]